Orion's Way
by youcantkillaliar
Summary: A new girl, hailing from the streets of Brooklyn gets sent to Horizon for stealing a car.
1. Chapter 1

Alright, this is my first one of these, so bare with me.

This story will include all the cliffhangers: Scott, Shelby, Auggie, Juliette, Daisy, Ezra, David, and Kat. Plus another addition named Tristan, who came to Horizon three weeks back because he was caught driving under the influence underage.

The story starts out with one more addition coming to Horizon, a

teenage girl named Orion. Orion is from Brooklyn, NY, and comes from a very poor and dysfunctional family. She is fifteen, and has long blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes. She is extremely pretty, but does not think highly of herself. Orion is half Columbian, so she is fluent in Spanish. Her mother died of cancer a few years back and her father remarried. Her father and step-mother are abusive addicts, but Orion no longer lives with them; she lives in an apartment with her band mates and best friends Jason (Orion's brother), Zach, Pat, and Skylark. They belong to a "sort-of" gang containing a bunch of street kids just trying to make it. They manage to make rent and such by playing gigs and stealing cars, which is why Orion is being sent to Horizon. For stealing a car, and also being in possession of a weapon; a switchblade which she always carried. Now on with the story.

'**with bold writing means Orion is thinking.'**

'**The last few months had been amazing. The band was beginning to get noticed, I was partying with my friends all the time, and I was living in an apartment with my best friends in the world. Who knew all the good times would end? Who knew, that I, Orion Flighter, would get caught stealing a car**?'

The last few weeks had been a blur to Orion. She had been arrested while attempting to steal a car. This came as a shock to everyone on the streets, as Orion and her group of friends could drive or steal anything with four wheels. It was obvious she had been set up, and that person had paid dearly for his mistake; he would never walk again. Orion has friends in high places. Her reputation, as well as her brother's and friend's, were highly held in the neighborhood. They were protected. But now, Orion is being taken away from everything she knew, everything she had; as little as she did have, it meant the world to her.

Her father and step-mother had not been present at her hearing. This was not surprising, her parents lived in a totally different world and Orion and Jason had not lived at home for more than six months. The judge, who decided to take it easy on the fifteen year old, told her she would be attending Mount Horizon, a school where she would get straightened out. Orion had looked him square in the eye and asked to be sent to juvi. Because in juvi, Orion would have friends and protectors. In juvi, you could smoke and drink and they could care less. Besides, Orion had never even left New York before.

"You're gunna be fine, kid, I promise." Jason, Orion's brother said, pulling her in for a hug.

"Yeah, don't worry, you'll be back before you know it." Her band mates said, too bad it sounded incredibly unconvincing.

The cop that was escorting Orion to the airport had obviously had enough of the goodbyes, as he grabbed Orion and handcuffed her.

"I don't have all fucking day you know!" He screamed.

'**Cops are all such assholes to street kids. And they wonder why they don't get any respect.' **Orion thought.

"Whatever, pig, let's go." She replied.

The drive to the airport felt like an eternity, and Orion had always hated handcuffs. Once in the airport, people stared at her like she was the scum of the earth. Under any other circumstances, Orion would have freaked out on them, but today was different. Today was the day everything was going to change.

A middle-aged woman stood waiting at the gate. The cop, rather forcibly, guided Orion over to her.

"Are you Miss James?" The officer questioned.

"Yes," she replied, shaking his hand.

The two conversed for a while, forgetting Orion was even there. From the way she talked to the way she flipped her hair, it was obvious that Miss James was one of those over-excited, hyper people. Finally, as if Orion had not been there the whole time, Miss James turned to her and smiled.

"You must be Orion. You are going to love Horizon…." Orion stopped listening there. This lady was a moron. Before she knew it the cop nudged her and smirked.

"Have a nice four hour plane ride with her, kid." He taunted. He handed Miss James the keys to the handcuffs, advised her not to remove them until they got to the camp, and took off.

"Fuck you." She replied coolly after him.

The plane ride was uneventful. Orion simply listened to music while Miss James kept up a lively chatter, thinking she was listening. They arrived at Horizon at around three in the afternoon.

'**Oh great, it's nothing like Brooklyn. It's a forest.' **Orion thought.

Orion met a guy named Peter and her counselor named Sophie. She was told she would be in a group called the cliffhangers. Orion just put herself in neutral; nodding at the appropriate times, answering some questions, and being polite. However, she was soon shifted out of neutral when her bags were checked. Inside had been a pack of cigarettes, a flask of vodka, and her switchblade.

"We do not allow any of these items here," Peter said. Obviously, Orion had not been listening to his explanation of the rules earlier. Orion had simply shrugged and asked for one last cigarette. Peter shook his head no, and then re-explained the rules, hoping this time she was listening.

All of a sudden, Orion noticed she was still handcuffed.

"Can we get these off already?" She asked impatiently.

Miss James fumbled with the key for a few minutes, until Orion ripped them out of her hand and did it herself.

"Goddamn could you take any longer?" She questioned Miss James.

Miss James took this as a cue to leave, and left with a hurt look on her face.

Peter cocked and eyebrow at Sophie, who simple shrugged.

"Try listening to her ramble on for four hours," Orion told them.

Before any of them could respond, a breathless African-American girl walked in.

"Sorry I'm late Peter" the girl stated.

"It's okay Kat." He answered.

Peter introduced the two girls and Kat led Orion on a tour of camp. Orion did not like it her. She loved the bright lights of the city. She loved staying out all night, drinking on the tops of buildings, and playing shows. Her reminiscing was cut short by a bell ringing.

"Dinner, you get to meet all the other cliffhangers now." Kat told her.

Orion nodded, '**Maybe someone here will be like me.'**

As Kat and Orion walked over to the cliffhanger table, they all looked up, surprised to see another member being added to their group.

"Everyone this is Orion. Orion this is Shelby, Scott, Juliette, Daisy, Tristan, Ezra, Auggie, and David."

A chorus of 'heys' and 'what's ups' greeted Orion. She returned them with a smile and a nod and then sat down to the left of Kat and next to David. He immediately started questioning her.

"What happened to your lip? Why are you here? How old are you? Do you

have a boyfriend?"

Orion simply looked at the boy. She had never met anyone who could talk as fast as David.

"Don't mind him, David is ADD." Shelby teased.

"It's cool." Orion replied, before digging into her food.

"If you didn't realize already, the food is horrible here." Auggie stated.

Orion shrugged," Where I come from, if there's food in front of you, you eat it."

"Well aren't you just a tough little street punk?" Said a voice.

All of them looked up and Shelby smirked," If it isn't Tina, rolling out the welcome wagon."

"Just shut it Tina, this has nothing to do with you," Daisy said.

Tina ignored her and walked over to Orion.

"So, you're the new girl. Stand up, let's get a look at you."

Orion ignored the girl and simply turned back to her food.

"Don't look away from me." Tina said coldly.

'**Who the hell does this girl think she is**,' Orion thought,' **I hope she knows I have no problems kicking her ass if she disrespects me.**'

"Alright, we get it, Tina, go away." Scott said.

Tina, however, wanted the new girl to be afraid of her. She needed

the satisfaction of knowing that she could control her. So, she grabbed

Orion by the shoulders and forced her to look at her.

Orion looked coolly at the girl before stating," Get your fucking hands off of me."

Tina laughed and pulled Orion up from her seat and spat," I know your mother died of cancer. What would she think of you if she saw where you ended up? She would probably fall right back into her grave."

All the cliffhangers sat frozen. Tina had always been a bitch, but she had never crossed the line like that before.

Orion felt her face get hot. She pushed Tina roughly and furiously stated," Don't you ever talk about my mother like that."

Tina glared at her and icily said," Your mother was nothing more than a crack whore."

It was then that Orion grew too furious for simply words. She lunged at Tina, and with all that she had learned on the streets, began beating this girl into a bloody pulp. Suddenly, Orion felt herself being lifted up, off of Tina, who was screaming and crying hysterically.

"She hit me!" Tina wailed.

Peter was grasping Orion in his strong arms. The girl was screaming a swarm of curse words and kept trying to escape his grasp in order to go after Tina again.

"Jeff!" Peter called to one of the counselors," Get Tina out of here."

Jeff obliged and took the frantic girl to the infirmary. It was then when Orion regained her composure. She felt everyone staring at her.

"What? I did what I had to do." Orion stated icily.

"That, is not how we deal with things at Horizon." Peter panted.

"Yeah, well that's how we deal with things in Brooklyn."

"Orion, my office, now." Peter said sternly.

Orion sighed.

'**Great, it's my first day and I'm already in trouble. Whatever.'**

Orion took off and all the cliffhangers just stared at each other.

"I think you just lost your title for Horizon bad girl, Shelby." Ezra commented.

"EZ, come on man," Auggie said.

"What?" Shelby questioned, "He's right, the girl can fight."

Tristan smirked. He was happy. There was another street kid at Horizon, just like him.


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, here's chapter two in the story. Sorry it's been so long, I'll try to update faster next time. I got one review for the last story, would really appreciate any more input people have to offer. Kay thanks.

Chapter two will involve Orion getting punished for fighting and Orion starts becoming a part of the cliffhangers.

**On with the story:**

Orion sighed, Peter sighed. They were getting nowhere. Orion didn't understand what was so wrong with fighting with Tina. Peter did not understand Orion's background, especially her home life, where words only earned you more trouble.

'**He doesn't understand where I'm from. He doesn't get that in Brooklyn it's totally and completely different.'**

"It's getting late. I want you to go back to your bunk, unpack and get settled in. I am putting you on dish detail for two weeks, and in the future, please just stay away from Tina" an exhausted Peter stated. They had been arguing back and forth for nearly an hour and a half.

"If she stays away from me, there will be no problem" Orion replied.

Peter nodded solemnly.

Orion smiled apologetically, "I am sorry we don't agree, I never meant to make you angry. It's just how I was raised. I wouldn't be here if I was taught to walk away like that, but I was also taught not to go looking for trouble."

Peter looked up from his desk and smiled for he and Orion had reached some kind of common ground. They said their goodnights, but not before Peter told Orion that tomorrow morning before breakfast he would be having a group session with the cliffhangers, where they would be getting to know each other.

Orion walked back to her cabin, realizing how dark it was at Horizon.

'**This is definitely not like home.'**

Once at her cabin, Orion realized her bunkmates were all occupied with homework, drawing, etc. Orion couldn't help but notice the awkward silence between all of them. She started packing, and could just feel the girls stealing quick glances at her.

"Guys, is there a problem?" she asked, whipping around to catch them all staring at her.

Shelby smiled coolly. "No, there's no problem. I, for one, am glad that you took out Tina. For once, it will not be me who gets in trouble for putting someone in their place."

Orion laughed and smirked at Shelby. Both of the girls had spunk. It was obvious that they would probably get along. And if they didn't, their respect for one another would prevent problems. Kat, however, was not pleased with Orion's behavior.

"I know what she said hurt, but fighting really will not get you far here at Horizon." Kat cautioned.

"That may be right, but disrespecting my mother is something I will never tolerate." Orion's eyes warned Kat not to push the subject, but Kat chose to ignore the warning.

"Peter decides when you get to go home. If you keep fighting you could be here for a while."

"That's where you're wrong. I'm here for eight months. After that, Peter decides if I get to go stay at juvi or if I can go home."

Kat sighed. "I've said my peace."

'**Wow, I'm pretty good at making people disappointed in me here.' **

"Yeah, you have. I respect that, but it's not like I go around hitting people for no reason." Orion shrugged.

The awkward silence ended then. None of the girls saw Orion as dangerous any more. Orion finished her unpacking and walked into the adjoining bathroom. She brushed her teeth and washed her face. She lightly touched the stitches on her lip.

'**Fucking cops.'**

She then lifted up her shirt to reveal her stomach and side in the mirror. Bruises and cuts lined her ribcage. She especially noticed the cuts near her tattoos. (Orion has various tattoos on her back, hips, on her left side, as well as on her wrists. They all symbolize things including her friends, her mother, and Brooklyn.) Her step-mother did not approve of them. Before she had left for Horizon, Jennifer, her step-mom had tried to "remove" the tattoos by scratching at them. Orion shook her head as if to rid her mind of these thoughts. She had no feelings toward her father and Jennifer. They were junkies. Jason and Orion had decided long ago that you can't have feelings for those that can't feel. All of the drugs had left her parents with the inability to feel.

'**Fucking parents.'**

Orion finished up in the bathroom and found her way over to her bunk. After saying goodnight to her bunkmates, Orion thought about group tomorrow. She wondered if she would ever fit in at Horizon. Somewhere in between these thoughts, Orion found sleep.

The next morning, Orion and the other girls were awoken by Sophie, who looked as though getting up at six-thirty everyday was nothing new. After moans and groans, the girls got up and dressed before heading over to the lodge for an early group session. The boys looked just as bedraggled and were suppressing yawns. Everyone took a seat. They were shortly joined by Peter, who took a seat next to Sophie by the fireplace.

"Alright guys, so we've called an early group, so we can get to know our newest member to the cliffhangers, Orion." Peter explained.

Shelby laughed dryly, "We know Orion; she's the one with the killer right hook."

The group all chuckled at this, but stopped when met by Peter's stern gaze.

"That is not what I meant, Shelby." He told her. "What I did mean, was perhaps some of us will be open to discussing why we're here."

Silence followed this until Ezra spoke up.

"Well, I'm here because my parents adopted me to save their marriage. It only made things worse, and I started using drugs."

Some of the others told their pasts. Some, like Scott and Shelby, left out the major details as to why they had brought here. Auggie explained how he had been sent here for tagging, or painting graffiti, and ultimately vandalizing private property. Orion was very interested in this, and asked Auggie about the gang he was involved in, where they were located, etc. It turned out that she had heard of Auggie's brother, Abe. The two conversed about mutual friends until Peter asked them to get back on task. Orion took this as her chance to tell her reason for being here.

"I'm here because I got caught stealing a car because someone tipped off the cops."

"Man, that's shady. He got it good though, didn't he?" Someone asked.

Orion's eyes fell on the dark-haired boy who had asked the question. She recalled that his name was Tristan. His overall look gave Orion the idea that he too was a street kid.

"Yeah, he'll never walk again, if that's what you mean." She told him.

Tristan nodded, showing full well that he understood.

"What?" Juliette squeaked, "That's horrible, how could you do that to someone? You said you don't go around hitting people all the time."

"I didn't do it," Orion snapped. "Someone did it for us as a favor."

"Still, how could you let someone do that?" Kat questioned.

"Look, I didn't know they were gunna rough him up that bad, alright? All I knew was I was in jail on grand theft auto and possession of a deadly weapon. Next thing I know, my brother told me how bad they messed him up. That bastard is lucky that they let him live. I have a reputation in Brooklyn. People there look out for me. He's lucky."

Immediately, many of the cliffhangers began to accuse Orion and question her.

'**Jesus, I feel so cornered. Why do I find that I keep having to explain myself here?'**

Auggie tried to explain it to the group, but they simply drowned him out. Finally, Tristan spoke up., and rather loudly.

"Most of you have never lived it okay? You don't tip off cops, alright? It's like planning your own funeral. Orion's right, the kid's lucky they didn't kill him. Most of you rich kids just don't understand the fucking struggle that's out there. The last thing you need it worrying about trusting your friends."

With that, Tristan got up and walked out. Sophie went to go after him, but Peter told her to let him cool off. Peter told them group was over and advised them all to go to breakfast. Orion sat, picking at her food, waiting for Tristan to return. Since it was a Saturday, there was no school. After cleaning dishes for what felt like forever, Orion was free of the kitchens and walked out onto the grounds.

Shelby and Scott waved her over to a picnic table where they were sitting with Daisy, David, and Tristan. Orion ambled over and took a seat next to Scott, across from Tristan.

"Hey, don't mind Juliette and Kat, they don't really understand things like that. I mean, I don't either. We were all pretty well off at home." Scott explained.

Orion shrugged. "I'm over it. I guess it sounds a little shocking if it's not something you see all the time."

They all just sat and talked, except for Tristan. Tristan had been given dishes for a week for the way he had acted at the end of group. After a while, though, everyone started wandering off in search of something to do. Orion stayed until only her and Tristan remained.

"Thanks," She whispered to him.

Tristan looked up, and shook himself out of the daze he had been in.

"For what?" He questioned her.

"For what you said during group." She said, as though it were obvious.

"It was nothing; I just know where you were coming from." He replied, embarrassed that she was thanking him. "I didn't mean to get so pissed off, but some of the kids here judge so easily on things they don't understand."

Orion nodded and smiled. "You get it though." She said.

Tristan smiled back. "You're not the only New Yorker here, Orion." He extended his hand, "Tristan from the Bronx."

Orion laughed and took his hand. "Orion Walker from Brooklyn."

Tristan smiled and looked Orion directly in the eye. He found that he couldn't look away. If only he knew that Orion couldn't look away either.

**End of Chapter**

**Okay, obviously there is going to be a possible romance with Tristan.**

**First, Orion has to adjust to life at Horizon.**

**In the next chapter, an unexpected visitor comes to Horizon.**


	3. Chapter 3

Alright here is chapter three.

I am so sorry it has been so long, but I had pink eye last week and really didn't feel like sitting at a computer and typing.

Please rate and review, it's good to know that people are reading and like the story.

**Mkay, here's chapter 3:**

Things are becoming routine to Orion. She had been at Horizon for two weeks, and is happy that she gets along with the other cliffhangers. She definitely feels closer to Tristan, Auggie, and Shelby because of their past on the streets, but also finds that she has no problem talking and spending time with the others.

'**It's so strange. I have never been close with kids who don't have the same background with me.' **

Orion was pondering over how weird it was to make friends with kids who have money as she scrubbed away at pots and pans with Tristan, who was still on dish detail. The two were lost in their own thoughts, until Peter's voice interrupted them.

"Okay guys, that's enough. You have to get to group." He told them. "Today we are going to split up into girls and guys. Orion the girls are with Sophie in the cafeteria, and Tristan the boys are in the other room in the lodge."

"Finally," Orion smirked, throwing off her apron, happy to be done doing the dishes for the day.

Tristan was in such a daze he hadn't even heard Peter. Orion splashed him and grinned.

"Hey!" He said, smiling also.

The two began to walk out of the kitchen into the cafeteria, where Orion was having group. Tristan was trying to rub his wet hands on Orion's shirt, and the two were laughing hysterically.

"Aw, how cute." Juliette squeaked.

The two blushed embarrassedly and Orion took a seat. Tristan gave all the girls a little wave and continued on his way to the lodge. The other cliffhanger girls shared glances. It was obvious Tristan and Orion were into each other, but neither was willing to admit it yet.

Sophie cut Orion's embarrassment short by hushing the group and beginning the lesson. Just as she was about to get into their discussion for the day, Daisy interrupted her.

"Hey, who's that guy, he's pretty good looking. I hope he's a new counselor." She said.

Orion was about to turn and look when she felt someone grab her by the shirt collar and pull her up. Horrified, Orion came face to face with her father. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. His red eyes concluded that he was probably high as well. Her father began screaming obscenities at her.

"You fucking bitch, you didn't even come and say goodbye." He screamed.

"Why would I come see you? I can't fucking stand you." Orion answered.

Sophie watched in horror as Orion's father raised his hand and punched his daughter square in the face. She instantly stood up and tried to pull him off of her, but he simply pushed her off and she landed with a thud on the ground. The other cliffhanger girls watched in shock as the man turned his attention back to his daughter, who had finally gotten up off floor. Surprisingly, Orion lunged at him, but he was too strong for her. Frozen, the girls watched him punch her multiple times in the face and stomach.

The boys were just a few rooms away, joking around with Peter, when they heard loud banging in the cafeteria. Peter instantly stood up and went to check what was going on. The boys followed him. What they saw made them all want to throw up. A big man, who was probably pushing 230 pounds, was kicking Orion, who was bleeding badly and moaning on the ground. Peter instantly ran forward and pulled the man off of Orion. Sophie finally got up off the ground.

"Call the cops!" Peter yelled to her, struggling to restrain the man.

Sophie nodded and headed to the phones, limping slightly.

Tristan and Scott went over to Orion and tried to help her up.

"Just..let..me..be" She managed to say.

The cliffhangers all looked down at Orion. She was in real bad shape.

Thirty minutes later, Orion's father was taken away by the police. Peter noticed that Sophie had hurt one of her ribs when she pushed down and sent her over to the infirmary. Now, he would have to help Orion get over there. A storm had brewed up, and she would have to wait until tomorrow to go to the hospital. He was worried, she was lying on the floor all curled up. However, she was awake. Auggie had kept her talking. The two were conversing in Spanish, so Peter had no idea what they were talking about.

"Orion," Peter said, bending down slightly and speaking gently, "I have to get you over to the infirmary. Scott and Tristan are going to help you up, okay?"

Auggie looked questioningly at Peter, as he was right next to Orion and could easily be one of the guys to help her up. Peter, however, nodded over at Juliette, who was sobbing quietly. Auggie nodded and understood. He went over to her.

As this was all happening, Orion did not wait for the help, but simply stood up herself. The two boys went to try and help her but Orion snapped at them.

"I got it alright? I deal with this all the fucking time. Goddamnit, I can take care of myself. It's not like this is the first time this has happened!" She screamed at Scott and Tristan.

As tough as Orion was, Tristan noticed how much her face paled after she yelled. She was swaying violently. He knew she was going to go down any second. Her eyes found his. Tristan knew she wanted to keep up her appearance, and act like this didn't faze her, but she was in a lot of pain.

"Come on, me and Scott just want to walk with you to make sure you can make it." Tristan coaxed softly.

Orion nodded. Peter told them he would be over soon, that he needed to straighten a couple things out. The boys nodded, and began walking on either side of Orion, leading her to the infirmary. Halfway there, Orion put her hands on her knees and threw up. Scott wished the infirmary was closer, he didn't know if Orion was going to make it. He looked worryingly at Tristan, who was watching Orion stagger as she walked. Finally, they made it to the infirmary. Both Tristan and Scott were relieved. The nurse gasped when she saw Orion.

"What a bad day to storm, she needs a hospital." The nurse stated matter-of-factly.

Orion stumbled over to the sink and splashed water on her face. For a few moments, no one spoke; they simply watched Orion remove the blood from her face. She turned around, exposing a fat lip, black eye, and bruised cheek.

"I don't need a hospital." She said. "I never go to the hospital."

The nurse stared in disbelief.

"You need to go." She replied.

"No, I don't." Orion stated, as though it were final, "Can you just do your job and get me cleaned up, please?"

The nurse did as she was told and began examining her. Orion's throat had her fathers hands imprinted on it. It was obvious that he had been choking her.

"Boys, I need to look at her ribs now, I think you should leave." The nurse said.

The two looked reluctant to leave, so the nurse told them that Orion was going to be fine, she just needed some patching up.

Scott nodded and turned to go. Tristan, however, walked over to Orion, who was lying down. He took her hand lightly and bent down and kissed her forehead. Orion squeezed his hand and looked up at him.

"Thanks Tristan. Thanks Scott." She said.

Both boys told her it was nothing; they were glad that she was going to be okay. They left then, letting the nurse finish up her job. On their way back to their bunks, Tristan and Scott ran into Peter. They noticed that Peter had a bruise on his face. He walked over and greeted them.

"How was Orion? Are you guys okay? I was just talking to the cliffhangers, trying to call them down. The girls are really shook up, especially Juliette. She was surprised Orion never mentioned anything about her father." He said.

Peter sighed. His facial expression made it obvious that he would never understand how parents could treat their children like this.

"I have to head over to the infirmary and get checked out. Are you sure you guys are okay?"

"Yeah, we're okay for now." Scott said, speaking for the both of them.

Peter nodded and continued on his way to the infirmary.

Tristan and Scott starting walking back to the lodge. Abruptly, Tristan spoke.

"I like her." He said.

"Yeah?" Scott asked. "Me and Shelby thought you did."

"It killed me seeing her like that. I want to make it better." Tristan stated.

Scott realized that this was the most emotion Tristan had shown since being at Horizon. Usually, Tristan was just the happy-go-lucky street kid who had made a mistake and drove drunk. It turned out he had only done it to protect his sister from getting the shit kicked out of her by some pretty tough girls.

"She's gunna be okay. I think you should give her a bit of time to get over this, and then tell her how you feel. Me and Shel think she might like you too. I mean, you guys have been close since she got here. What she probably needs right now is a friend." Scott advised.

"Yeah," Tristan said. "But getting hit by your parents isn't really that uncommon in our world. I don't think Orion would really wanna talk about it. It's normal for shit like that to happen. I need a fucking cigarette."

"Yeah, tell me about it. Well, Shelby's all out again, but she's getting some in this weekend. You'll have to wait till then." Scott said with a shrug.

Tristan groaned.

"Orion said she smoked though. You could invite her, you know? Maybe she will be well enough by then." Scott offered.

"You sure Shelby wouldn't mind sharing her smokes?"

Scott laughed slightly. "She gets them for free, so I doubt she'll care."

**NOTE: I AM NOT INFERRING THAT SHELBY DOES ANYTHING SEXUAL FOR THE CIGARETTES, LIKE IN THE ONE EPISODE. SHE SIMPLY HAS A CONNECTION WHERE SOMEONE CAN GET THEM FOR HER.**

"Why are we talking about cigarettes when something big just happened?" Tristan asked.

Scott shrugged. "Hell, I don't know."

The two looked at each other and cracked up laughing. It was one of those moments that you just couldn't help. They were making light of a situation that made them uncomfortable and edgy. Just as soon as they had started, the stopped. The two walked in silence back to their cabin. They changed and got into bed. Tristan stayed up, thinking about Orion.

'**She's been here for two weeks, and I already know that I like her.'**

Inside, he was dealing with if it was too soon to have feelings for her. He was worried that she was hurt. He couldn't take it any more. Tristan got up, out of his bunk and headed quickly over to the infirmary. He knocked quietly and walked in to find Orion conversing with the nurse (Ruth). The two glanced at him as he walked in.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He said

Ruth took this as a cue to give them a little space and walked into the supply closet to clean up. Orion smiled.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you and Scott before..." She began

"No, don't say that." He said. Tristan walked over and sat down on the chair next to her bed.

"So, are you okay?" He asked in a caring tone.

Orion nodded. "My ribs hurt like hell, but it's happened before. I convinced everyone that I didn't need a hospital. I hate hospitals. When my mom had cancer, I was always there."

Tristan grabbed Orion's hand, seeing how thinking about her mother made her upset. They talked for a while, before Ruth came back and told Tristan he should probably head to bed. He nodded, bid them both goodnight, and headed back to his dorm. As he was leaving he heard the nurse tell Orion how cute the two of them would look together. He hadn't heard Orion's response to the comment, but he hoped she shared similar feelings.

On his way home, he found that Auggie was heading back from the docks. Tristan looked at him questioningly.

"Jules is really shook up." He said.

Tristan nodded.

"How's Orion?" Auggie asked gently.

"How did you-

"Come on man, it's obvious you like her." Auggie interrupted.

Tristan told him Orion was doing fine, and ignored the fact that everyone seemed to know that he had feelings for her.

'**Does she feel the same?' ** was the question that kept Tristan up all night.

OKAY THAT WAS CHAPTER THREE. I DON'T KNOW IF I WROTE IT THE WAY THAT I HAD ORIGINALLY WANTED TO, BUT I SIMPLY WANTED TO PUT ORION'S FATHER IN THERE. I PROMISE THAT THE NEXT CHAPTERS WILL BE FOCUSED ON ORION'S EXPERIENCE AT HORIZON: HER FRIENDSHIPS, ROMANCE, ETC.


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, here's chapter four. I'm sorry it took so long to get the chapter out, but I had been saving it on a disk and now the disk won't open on my computer, so I had to rewrite it and such. This story wasn't really what I wanted, but I needed a "fight" with Tristan and Orion and this let it happen.**

**I'd really appreciate more reviews; it motivates me to write more.**

**Still, I will try to get chapters out quicker, but with school and work its hard.**

**MKay, on with the chapter:**

Orion had been healing well. Peter and Sophie were both impressed and surprised that the girl had never cried, complained, or offered an explanation on her father's actions. Countless times, the two had tried to talk to her about it, but Orion simply said she had not lived with her father for a long time, apologized for his actions, and then remained silent. It scared Peter that Orion seemed to see nothing wrong with her father's behavior. In fact, it was clearly obvious that events like this occurred often, for Orion was up and about not two days after the brutal encounter.

"You're free to go. Just please be careful." Nurse Ruth advised her. Truthfully, the girl was not fully recovered, but it was too hard for Ruth to keep her cooped up; it was making Orion crazy.

"Thank god." Orion stated, practically running out the door. She bounded up the dirt path that led to the grass clearing where many of Horizon's students were studying, playing basketball, etc.

"Orion," Juliette squealed, "You're all better!"

"Eh, I'm getting there." Orion answered.

"Well, you still look like shit." Shelby countered.

It was true. Orion still had many visible bruises and cuts.

'**At least they can only see what's on the outside of my clothes.' **Orion thought nervously. For underneath, her back and stomach were suffering from severe bruising.

"Ha, shut up." She told Shelby teasingly.

Their conversation was cut short when the sound of music filled the air. Someone was playing a guitar and Orion was intrigued. Whoever was playing had no knowledge of the instrument, as they were simply strumming a variety of chords that did not go together. The cliffhangers recognized the guitar player as David, who was simply fooling around.

"Damn, I thought someone here could actually play." Scott said.

"You can play music?" Shelby asked, surprised her had never mentioned it to her before.

"Hell no," Scott replied, "but I thought someone could. It would give us something to listen to instead of our droning counselors."

"Who says I can't play?" questioned a smirking David.

"Face it man, you suck." Tristan teased.

"Here, I play." Orion said, reaching for the guitar. David handed it to her. The girl took a couple of minutes tuning the instrument.

'**Damn, I haven't gotten to play in so long.' **Memories of her band intensely rushed around in Orion's head as she began strumming the chords to a song.

She soon began to sing:

"I have a story of bitter anthem,  
For everyone to hear  
About this kid who just don't like me,  
And that's a solid fact  
They say he's hunting me  
And as you see  
I'm all swelled up with fear  
Cause I can't get him off my back  
If you see Jordan  
If you see Jordan  
He makes me sick  
He makes me sick  
High school's over  
High school's over  
And you still won't quit

You tried to fight me down  
At Tyler's beach and man I thinks that's great  
Nearly cried and said to yell at you like you do at all the girls  
And you drove home real quick  
Did you make it home in time to masturbate?  
There's too many of you in this world

If you see Jordan  
If you see Jordan  
He makes me sick  
He makes me sick  
High school's over  
High school's over  
And you still won't quit

You say it's chivalry but it's jealousy  
That lead us to this song  
Won't play it often  
Just at least until you're gone  
You'll stop at nothing but the real thing  
And everything up to that's pretend  
You tried to brainwash all my friends

If you see Jordan  
If you see Jordan  
He makes me sick  
He makes me sick  
High school's over  
High school's over  
And you still won't quit

Fuck you Jordan  
Fuck you Jordan  
You make me sick  
You make me sick  
High school's over  
High schools over  
I don't care if you dye your hair  
You'll always be a little red head bitch"

When she finished, the cliffhangers stood in shock. They didn't know that Orion was so talented. She could really sing and play.

"That was really good; it was about your dad, right?." Ezra said in awe.

"Yeah, it was about my father. It sounds better with the whole band, and not me singing, though." Orion replied modestly.

"You're in a band?" Kat questioned, as Orion never mentioned it.

"Yeah, we're gunna get signed when I get out of here. We would be on tour already if that asshole hadn't ratted me out."

"How come you don't sing in your band?" Daisy asked, "You're amazing."

"Because I'm too busy rocking out on my guitar. Guys have better vocals for the type of music I play, anyways. I sing our acoustic shit." Orion informed them.

"That sucks, because my ears are bleeding from your little show here." A taunting voice said.

Orion rolled her eyes. She knew the voice belonged to Tina, and she really wasn't looking forward to what was going to come out of this.

'**Doesn't this bitch know how hard I could beat her?'**

"I'm serious, my ears are basically bleeding over here. Thanks a lot. And just look at you, you're a goddamn mess." Tina stated.

"You don't look so good yourself." Orion replied with a smirk.

"I'm gunna look a lot better than you when me and my friends are through with you." Tina told Orion.

"So now you need a bunch of friends to take me? You scared of me?" Orion mocked.

Tina laughed, trying to hide the fact that she did need two friends to help her stand up to Orion. What Tina didn't know, was that Orion was known as one of the best girl fighters in Brooklyn, thanks to her brother. It was not uncommon for Orion and one or two friends to take on five or six other girls and win. Many questioned why Orion and her brother took on their father. Neither would admit it, but they were hesitant to fight with their father because they knew that they had one time loved him and he them; but that was all before their mother had gotten sick.

Orion's blood was already boiling from the encounter with her father. This time, Orion was also looking for a fight. She was ready to give Tina and her friends a rude awakening.

"You really wanna do this again?" She questioned Tina and her friends.

Tina went up to the girl. Orion stood her guard. However, Tina simply leaned in and whispered something in Orion's ear before taking off, her posse in tow.

"What was that all about?" David asked.

"Just giving me a time and a place." Orion said.

Normally, Orion would ask a few friends to go with her to the fight. The truth was, while Orion liked many of her female bunkmates, she couldn't picture asking any of them to help her with this. Enough time just hadn't gone by for her to trust them. Orion knew there would be consequences to all of this. Still, her life before Horizon had taught her to always fight when you were disrespected.

'**I know I can take all three of them.' **

Her choice had been decided. At 4:30 am, Orion would meet the girls at the docks for a showdown. It was later then Orion would have liked, but she knew it was simply a ploy for Orion to accidentally oversleep and look chicken. Besides, it was late enough that everyone would have been in bed for hours and early enough that Peter wouldn't be arriving at the camp for another two hours. It was plenty of time to get a good fight in.

Tristan noticed that Orion wasn't paying much attention during dinner or group. He was the same way before a fight. The cliffhangers all hung out for a little in the lounge, and Orion was distant, until Daisy interrupted her thoughts.

"People really like hitting you." She told her.

Orion simply laughed at this comment, choosing to ignore it. Shortly after, Peter told the cliffhangers it was time to head to their cabins and get to sleep. As Orion was getting ready to walk back to her cabin with Kat, Tristan stopped her.

"Be careful, okay? You're still hurting from your dad."

"I'll be fine," Orion said defensively.

Tristan grabbed her by the shoulders and gently pulled her close to him. "I'm serious, alright? They might not play fair."

Orion grabbed his hands off her shoulders.

"Tristan, don't make problems with us okay? I don't need your help; I can take care of myself." Orion stated.

Tristan simply nodded, looking hurt and pissed off at the same time.

"Sorry for trying to be there for you." He shouted, stalking off.

"Tristan, wait, I didn't mean it like that." Orion called after him. He didn't even turn around and acknowledge that she had spoken. Orion sighed and took off for her cabin.

The girls were silent when Orion entered their room. They knew she would be going and fighting Tina tonight. Still, none of them, even Shelby, were willing to step up and take the fall with her. Sure, they all liked Orion, but none of them were that close. Still, some of them were anticipating that she might ask for help.

Orion slightly nodded to all the girls, "Chill out guys, I'm doing this alone."

A sigh of relief escaped from everyone's lips except for Kat's.

"This is stupid." Kat told her.

"Not where I come from." Orion answered and shrugged.

"You should tell Peter or Sophie."

"No, I shouldn't, and none of you should either because I keep all of your secrets sneaking out with your boyfriends." Orion said.

It was obvious that the conversation should be dropped there, so Juliette quickly jumped in with a change of subject.

"So, how are you and Tristan doing?"

Orion chuckled dryly, "Nice try at changing the subject Jules, but me and Tristan just got in a fight."

"Ooh, what about?" Shelby asked curiously.

That is how Orion and the cliffhanger girls ended up in a circle, sharing stories about boyfriends. If you had not known why these girls were at Horizon, you might assume that they were a bunch of teenage girls having a sleep over. However, as the hours slipped by and 4:30 drew nearer and nearer, the light conversation dwindled and Orion became rather edgy.

"Are you scared?" Jules asked, barely above a whisper.

Orion smiled slightly at the girl. She knew that Juliette came from a richer family, and had probably never been in a fight with anyone.

"No, I don't get scared."

The girls had clearly stayed up until 4:00 to keep Orion company. She was grateful, for the medicine Nurse Ruth had her on was definitely taking a toll on her; she was exhausted. At 4:15, Orion got up and pulled her sweatshirt off. She briefly touched the tattoo on her wrist that said **BROOKLYN PRIDE **before she took off into the night. Minutes later, she was at the docks waiting for Tina and her friends to show up. True to their word, they did.

"I didn't expect you to show." Tina stated.

"Yeah, same here." Orion replied coolly.

Tina laughed dryly.

It didn't take long for things to get fired up. Insults were exchanged both ways, and one of Tina's friends actually took the first hit, after Orion had insisted that the girl needed to get her own life and stop listening to everything Tina said. Orion blocked it easily and pushed the girl to the ground. Tina was instantly on Orion, and the fight officially started. After twenty minutes, Orion was winning, until one of Tina's companions brought a flashlight out and shined it on Orion's face. She was blinded as one of her opponents lunged at her and tackled her into the lake. Orion immediately began thrashing around, trying to get above the water, but the girl's hands were forcing her head to stay down. Somehow, Orion managed to get away. She began pounding on the girl and dragged her out of the water when she had apparently had enough. It did not take long for Orion to finish off the other two, hitting them until they stopped attacking her.

"This ends now." Orion told them, still breathless from being almost drowned in the lake.

The sun's early light was beginning to shine through as Orion made her way back to her dorm, sopping wet and tired. She read the alarm clock as she crawled into her bed, fully clothed. It read 5:45. The fight had taken longer than she thought, and in just an hour and fifteen minutes it would be time for breakfast.

"Wake up, we're gunna be late for breakfast." Shelby said, shaking Orion awake.

Orion groaned; she was sore all over. All this fighting was taking a toll on her. Mortified, Orion realized she had crawled into bed in her soaking wet clothes. The drop of water that dripped down her face when she sat up also indicated that her hair was wet. Knowing she would get dish detail if she was late for breakfast, Orion quickly changed her clothes and hurried to the cafeteria. She definitely should have looked in mirror. Upon entering the dining hall, all eyes were on Orion. Scott and Auggie immediately jumped up from the table.

"What the hell happened to you? You're soaked and you're covered in dirt and blood." Auggie said.

"Yes, Orion, we would love to know what happened to you." A woman's voice said behind her.

Orion turned and was face to face with Sophie and Peter.

'**Shit.'**

YEAH THAT'S THE END. I SWEAR THAT THIS WILL BE THE END OF THE FIGHTS WITH TINA AND OTHER CAMPERS AT HORIZON, BUT SINCE MY OTHER DRAFT, WHICH WAS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, WAS DELETED, THIS WAS WHAT MY MIND CAME UP WITH. PLEASE REVIEW AND STAY TUNED FOR CHAPTER 5!


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright here's chapter five. It's really hard for me to have time to write more chapters, so I'm sorry for the long wait in between.**

**On with the story:**

Peter and Sophie were simply staring at Orion, waiting for the answer as to why she was soaking wet and covered in dirt and blood.

"I think it's pretty obvious why I'm like this." She told them dryly, "You can't keep some of your students under control so I have to defend myself."

'**I know I'm being rude, but I am so not in the fucking mood for this.'**

"If you had a problem with anyone, all you had to do was come and talk to us." Peter said impatiently.

"Yeah because it worked really well last time."

"Do not blame them for your actions." A gruff voice from behind Orion stated.

She turned to face the man, and knew it was Frank, the guy she had met on her first day; he was the owner or something. Orion eyed him and shrugged.

"You and I are going to be good friends." Frank stated. "Since you have all this energy, you can run my errands for me. Scott will tell you, it really straightens out an attitude. And if you feel like hitting something, there's a punching bag in the barn. Use that from now on. Now, I need you to go to my office and grab my walking stick; you have two minutes, so I suggest you run, fast."

'**What the hell? Is he kidding around?'**

"One minute forty-five seconds."

Orion took off for Frank's office. She made it back with time to spare. Frank was surprised; she had a lot of speed.

"Here." She said breathlessly.

"Now sit down and eat your breakfast, you're going to need your strength." Frank told the girl.

Orion nodded, grabbed some cereal and fruit off the breakfast line, and sat down at the cliffhanger table. Daisy noticed how pale she was.

"Are you alright, Orion? You don't look so hot." She said.

Orion looked up at her and smirked, "I'm fine."

Orion, however, was not fine. She was sore from all the fighting, exhausted from her medicine, and now she was going to have to run around Horizon all day. The cliffhangers did not argue her statement, though, and continued with their meals.

"Guys, we better go get our books; we have class in like ten minutes." Ezra stated.

"Yeah, we can't be late again." Shelby replied.

In history class, Orion plopped down in her seat, which happened to be next to Tristan. He took notice to the bags under her eyes and the cuts and bruises on her face and arms, but he didn't say anything. The truth was he was still mad at her. He knew it was stupid, but he didn't understand why Orion couldn't confide in him about Tina when she had confided in him before. Tristan's thoughts were interrupted by the shuffle of students heading out of class. He got up and followed them out.

For the next two weeks, Orion was running her ass off doing Frank's errands. He finally let her off when he realized that this running was taking a toll on her recovery.

"So, he finally let you off?" Juliette asked Orion, as she walked up to where the cliffhangers were sitting at a picnic table.

"Yeah, thank god." Orion answered happily, plopping down next to Kat.

Orion laid her head on her arm and started fingering one of her tattoos. She missed Tristan, but she didn't really think he had a reason to be mad at her. The two hadn't said more then a few words to each other since their fight. The girl was happy that things were getting back to normal though; she was sick of being the center of attention. If only she knew about the call Peter had just taken in his office.

"Who was it?" Sophie asked.

"It was one of Orion's band mates; they need to come up and see her. They said something happened." Peter said worriedly.

"They didn't say what?" Sophie questioned.

"No, they just said that it was really important. They're coming up the day after tomorrow."

After group, Sophie told Orion she needed to stay a minute after.

"What's up? I promise I haven't gotten in any more fights." Orion said.

"No, it's not that." Sophie told her, "One of your band mates called today and said something happened, but they wouldn't say what. They're coming up the day after tomorrow."

Orion looked worried.

"What do you mean they didn't say?"

Sophie shrugged, "They wanted to tell you in person."

Orion nodded and walked off.

'**What could have happened that they couldn't just call?'**

Her worries had Orion all riled up. She had lost some of her friends because of street violence and drug overdoses and she was worried that it had happened again. Her mind was so distracted she wasn't even watching where she was going, and she ran right into Tristan.

She looked up at him, "I'm sorry."

"It's cool." He said, turning to go.

"Tristan, don't. Please." She said to him.

He sighed and turned around. To his surprise, Orion looked terrified.

"What's the matter?" He asked gently, forgetting that he was mad at her.

Orion told him her situation. Tristan saw how upset she was. He grabbed her hands and pulled her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he embraced her back.

"I'm sorry for everything." Orion told him. "I've missed you."

Tristan smiled to himself.

"I missed you too." He told her; pulling her closer, if that was even possible.

**ALRIGHT, THAT WAS CHAPTER 5.. A LITTLE SHORT I KNOW BUT I WANTED TO END AT THIS POINT. STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE REASONS FOR ORION'S FRIENDS COMING TO HORIZON AND ALSO TO SEE IF ANYTHING HAPPENS BETWEEN HER AND TRISTAN.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, here's the next chapter.**

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I had finals this week; plus, I haven't gotten many reviews so I'm not even sure if any of you are even reading any more. Please review if you read the story, it motivates me to write more.**

**Okay, so we left off where Tristan and Orion have made up after Orion found out that her band mates were coming up because they have something to tell her.**

**STORY STARTS HERE:**

Orion had been up all night, worrying. What could be so bad that her they couldn't just tell her over the phone? When the breakfast bell rang at 7:00, Orion decided she didn't much feel like walking with the rest of the girls to breakfast. She arrived early and sat down at her usual table. Ten minutes later, others starting piling in, and Orion was joined by the other cliffhangers.

"Hey, what's up?" Scott asked.

"Eh, nothing." Orion replied.

They all shared a glance; there was obviously something on her mind because Orion usually had more to say. However, none of them pursued the subject, as a lot had happened to Orion since she had been there. The bell rang for class, and the cliffhangers groaned at their misfortune of having math class next. During algebra, Juliette wrote a note to Shelby, trying to find out why Orion was acting so weird.

_Shel, any idea why Orion is being so quiet? Do you think it had anything to do with Tina/her dad?_

_I don't know, Jules, she didn't tell me anything. Guess we'll find out sooner or later, though, huh?_

A few minutes later, the lunch bell rang, and the cliffhangers exited the algebra building as quickly as they could; no one really liked that class because of how boring their teacher was. In the dining hall, Orion had her back to the door. She didn't see her brother and three best friends (and band mates) entering with Peter. She didn't see all of her fellow Horizon students look up at the unfamiliar faces entering the cafeteria. The girl couldn't see the pained look on all of her friends' faces.

"Kid, hey Kid." Orion heard the faint familiar voice of her brother, uttering her nickname. She turned to see Jason, Zach, Pat, and Skylark all standing awkwardly with Peter. Before she could even speak, her brother engulfed her in a tight hug.

"It's okay, it's okay." He said softly.

Orion froze and pushed him away, looking her four band mates in the eye.

'**What the fuck happened? Why is he telling me it's okay?'**

"Qué sucedió? Me dice." What happened? Tell me. She questioned.

"Davey, he couldn't take the pressure. He.. he.." Zach trailed off, his voice cracking and his eyes filling with tears.

He hadn't needed to finish though. Orion understood what had happened. Davey, one of their best friends since they were kids, had killed himself, due to the horrible home life he had had to endure for his seventeen years on this earth. This news made Orion feel as though she had just ran into a brick wall. Suicide was one of the most serious ways to die; Davey had really believed that he had no one to lean on.

Her mind went numb, and Orion felt her knees get weak. She shook her head.

"No, no, no." She uttered.

She stumbled, as though she was drunk. She hit the floor hard and found that even though she was trying, she could not stand. Orion choked on her tears, and the sound of her sobbing filled the cafeteria. Pat picked her up and held her, carrying her out of the cafeteria. Orion didn't need to lose it in front of everyone here.

"We just need a moment." Skylark squeaked, tears flowing down her face.

Peter nodded, shocked by the entire situation, as Skylark and Jason followed the other two out. The dining hall sat in silence, stunned. Sophie being the first to come to her senses, stood up, and suggested that everyone break off into their groups.

"Yeah, that's not a bad idea," Peter said quickly. He sent the trackers, cliffhangers, etc. off to different areas of Horizon with their counselors, hoping to have everyone remain calm. Sophie led her group over to the gazebo that hey frequently held their sessions in. Silence reigned for the first few minutes.

"Does anyone have anything to say?" Sophie asked desperately.

Juliette was the first to speak. "It makes me feel sorry for ever hurting myself. I never thought how it would affect everyone else. I didn't know Orion could cry."

The conversation continued from there, and Sophie was proud to see how the cliffhangers were dealing with the situation. Well, most of them anyway. Tristan had yet to say a word, and he sat broodingly in a corner. She did not push the boy, but for the time being left him with his thoughts.

Peter gave Orion a little while to recover from the initial shock of the news about her beloved friend. In fact, Peter had been shocked by her reaction; the usually cool and collected Orion had broken down in front of the entire school. Not even when she was in excruciating physical pain from her fights with Tina and her father had she so much had shed one tear. He knew though, that physical pain is something you can learn to endure, while emotional pain was something you could not. Still, it was now time for Peter to talk to the student which had been sent to him in order to mold and make her a positive addition to society. Death was not an easy thing to talk about, but Peter needed Orion to know that he was there for her. As he walked over to the five Brooklyn kids, they all looked up at him. Pain and sorrow littered their faces. Orion stood and walked over to him. He noticed that she turned and wiped her face before she reached him.

"I guess you want to talk about Davey, right?" She asked him.

"Yes, it is very important that you and I discuss the situation." Peter told her.

"Alright, just let me say goodbye to my friends."

"You can see them later." Peter told her softly.

"No, I can't. They have jobs to go to tomorrow. We gotta make rent." Orion replied.

Peter nodded and gave the girl time to say her goodbyes. Then, he led the girl to his office. To his surprise, she did not need a lot of prodding. Orion Flighter, one of the toughest people Peter had ever met, laid her entire story out for Peter to hear. He now knew of the cruel and dangerous world that the girl was forced to go through, but how she had turned it around with her friends and music to make it a life that was not only bad, but also incredibly good. Orion told the story quickly and without hesitation or tears. She spoke in a monotone voice and paused only occasionally to reminisce and catch her breath. They spoke well into the night, and Peter was startled to see that the clock read 12:00am. He mentioned that it was probably good if Orion headed back to her cabin, to try and sleep. She nodded and got out of that office as quick as she could.

'**I geuss it's good that he knows my story, he gets where I come from. I'm glad he finally let me go, I was about to break down again. Fuck, Davey, how could you do this to me?'**

Orion reached her cabin, hoping to find everyone asleep. Instead, her bunkmates were all wide awake, waiting for her.

'**What the hell? They should be asleep. I can't deal with them right now.'**

Orion decided she didn't feel like talking to anyone about it any more, her friends and Peter had been enough. She turned and walked right out of the cabin, knowing the tears were about to come again. These girls didn't need to think she was a pussy for crying two times in one day. The girl walked down to the dock and sat, holding her knees to her chest and burying her face in her arms. Her thoughts were filled with Davey.

FLASHBACK:

"Shit, I can't get it unlocked, Orion." Davey whispered.

Orion walked over to the boy and laughed, before wrapping her hand in her sweatshirt and punching through the car's window.

"There, I got it." She said mischievously.

Davey looked the girl in the eye and they started laughing hysterically.

"I'm drivin'" He told her.

Orion smiled slightly at the memory. She had been 11 and Davey had been 13. He had never stolen a car before. Orion had taught him how.

"I thought I said you should head back to your cabin?" Orion heard Peter say.

The girl jumped slightly, she hadn't heard him coming.

"Sorry, all the girls were still up; I didn't really wanna face them yet."

Peter nodded and turned to leave.

"Peter, I need to go into town tomorrow." The girl said to his back.

"How comes?" Peter answered, turning around.

"I need a new tattoo," She replied, pointing at a few of hers.

Peter thought this over. They didn't really allow earrings, clothing, etc. that made the students stand out, but since Orion's tattoos were not removable, they were something that could not have been taken away. He wasn't so sure about letting her get a new one though; it would allow her to hide under her image, which was something they tried to prevent here. Seeing that he was having trouble deciding, Orion spoke up.

"I'm gunna put it on my wrist," She said pointing at her left wrist, "It's gunna say Davey."

Peter saw how the girl's eyes were shining at the thought. It wasn't gang related, so how could he say no? He also knew that, unlike Daisy, Orion didn't use her image as a cover up, but as a way to express herself.

"Okay, Orion, we'll set up a date for tomorrow." He said, knowing that it was something that she needed to do.

Orion nodded and headed off to her cabin. She noticed that this time the lights were off, and the girls were at least pretending to be asleep. After walking in, Orion walked into the bathroom where she changed and splashed some water on her face.

"I think I'm gunna be driving from now on, Davey." She said sadly.

**MKAY, well that was chapter 6, tried to keep it long so you guys liked it. Full of drama, of course because that's what we all like to read.**

**Chapter 7 I will put out Wednesday/Thursday, I promise.**

**REVIEW PLEASE and let me know what you think.**

**Stay tuned for chapter 7!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, so it's been forever since I've updated. I'm not very happy with the style of my writing in the previous chapters mainly due to the fact that it's not written in the first person. I'm changing that. Anyways, here is the next chapter in the series and I hope you guys read it and like it. Review if you read too please:**

My face was a blank slate when I stepped out of my cabin to face Horizon the next morning. By looking at me you couldn't tell that just yesterday I'd heard the news over losing one of my best friends. My eyes were flashing with anger at the world and what an unforgiving and cruel place it could truly be. I'd dealt with this before with other friends and my mother. The more you keep up with your normal routine, the easier it is for everybody else to let you move on. I should have known at Horizon it would be totally different. People were looking at me again and this time it wasn't out of respect for kicking Tina's ass, but out of pity. Back home, nobody would have been looking at me that way; I would have been expected to get up and head to work to make rent. A few of the cliffhangers tried to talk to me on my way to breakfast but I just kept walking. Peter ushered me to a table with him and Sophie and I was told that I would be going into town after morning group for my tattoo.

"Thanks," I said as I ate my breakfast quickly in silence.

Group was held and I was prodded by Sophie many times to share how I felt. Finally, I spoke up.

"I'm upset and I don't want to fucking talk about it any more," I spat, "If I ever see Davey's parents again I swear to god I'm going to kill them."

I glared at Sophie, daring her to say another word to me. The entire group was tense and I stared deeply at the floor and tapped my foot edgily. A cigarette would have hit the spot about then, and I cursed the rules of this stupid school. I bit my lip to keep my mouth shut good for the rest of group and heard Juliette gasp when blood ran down my chin. After wiping it away, I headed to the barn to hit the heavy bag. I've got anger that I can usually control but knowing I couldn't go to Dave's funeral or even be with my friends was really taking a toll on me. Tristan knew to give me my space right now but it took the rest of the cliffhangers awhile to finally get that I didn't want or need them around. Yesterday had been the day for tears and now it was time to put a brave face on.

"You almost ready champ?" Peter asked me as he held the bag for my last few punches.

Breathlessly, I nodded. It didn't surprise me when Peter started asking me questions about Davey after only a few minutes in the old pickup and I answered them simply.

"I knew him since I was young. Maybe 6 or 7," I said.

"You guys were real close then," Peter stated.

"I considered him family," I told him, "We went to juvi together for a few months two years back."

Peter pretended like he didn't feel awkward at the tattoo parlor that was on the corner of Grape and Vine St. The guy had a lot of piercings and tattoos and I was shifting through different fonts as we kept up a lively chatter. His price wasn't much, $75, and I wanted to make sure I got it just right.

"Davey your boyfriend then?" The guy, Johnny, asked me.

"Nah, a buddy of mine that died," I said playing it cool.

Johnny and I talked about it as he did my tattoo. It was easier to talk to him about it, but that's how it is with most tattoo artists people say. The guy did amazing work and I was so stoked on it when I was done. "Davey—Bye Bye Beautiful" is what my wrist read after thirty minutes of sitting in the chair. The needles drumming into my skin had always been somewhat therapeutic for me and I knew Dave would love that I'd included the lyrics to his favorite song. [Song by Coheed and Cambria. Johnny had made the tattoo pop with bright colors; I'd let him do his own thing and was glad for it since I usually stick to black and white tattoos although I do have a few colored.

"Thanks, man. This means a lot," I said as I shook Johnny's hand.

The tattoo made Davey's death feel permanent and Johnny seemed to notice my edginess while I was getting my money out.

"Are you cool kid?" He asked worriedly.

I wasn't paying much attention to Johnny though. My mind was a blur like it always was right before I boosted a car. Peter was walking next to me with a look of confusion on his face. I started rubbing over the bandage of my tattoo, begging myself not to do this. My eyes met Peter's briefly in an apology before I turned and bolted quickly down the street.

"Orion, stop!" Peter yelled after me.

His feet were pounding quickly to catch up with me, but my legs were running like they never had before. After turning down a few streets to get Peter off my tail, I started looking for the right car to boost and I shook my head at the array of pickup trucks and minivans. It didn't matter if it was locked or not, I could get any car open and in New York some people take ungodly measures to keep their car from getting broken into by the likes of me so I've gotten a lot of practice. Sighing, I decided it wasn't going to get much better than a pickup and I braced myself as I punched through the passenger side window bare-fisted; there wasn't enough time for a proper break in and I wasn't going to have some car shark on my back for damages anyways. Within seconds I was behind the wheel and ripping open the plastic cover under the steering wheel. The next part came easy and I hummed to myself as I diddled with the wires effortlessly and smirked when the engine roared to life.

"I still got it," I said to myself as I looked in the mirror before shifting into gear and hurling down the street.

Peter turned the corner just as I stopped at the intersection and I could hear him screaming at me as I ran the red light to avoid him. Cars beeped furiously and I turned up the radio and pushed my foot harder on the gas. This isn't Brooklyn and I really need to get that fact through my head. The cop lights flashed behind me only five minutes after I'd seen Peter and I weighted my options as the sirens turned on. There was no way in hell this pickup was going to outrun a squad car and I pulled over and started swearing a blue streak when Peter stepped out with the policeman. There was no point in running now since there were two of them.

'**Oh fuck I'm in for it now.'**

I noticed the way the officer and Peter talked and came to the conclusion that they'd known each other for a long time and from hearing the runaway stories at Horizon I knew why. Peter kept asking me why I would do something like this while the officer read me my rights as I was arrested. The cold metal feeling of the handcuffs was nothing new to me and I was grateful that my hands were placed in front of me instead of behind my back. I'd used my left hand to punch through the window and it was bleeding freely onto the pavement.

"Curtis is going to take you down to the station while I go and speak with the Jones' and beg them not to press charges against you," Peter told me angrily, "It would be wise for you to keep your mouth shut and behave."

The way Peter was looking at me made me wish that I never would have stolen that car. Sheriff Swann took my arm firmly as he guided me to the back of you car. He told me to watch my head as I ducked into the cop car.

"And try not to bleed all over the back," Curtis explained.

He was nicer than any of the cops in New York that's for sure, but I figured that he probably wanted to kill me for getting blood all over the back. Brooklyn pigs usually beat you down before they arrest you and feel the need to be rough with you. The ride to the station took minutes and I realized how small this town really was.

"Don't know where you were looking to run to. There's one road leading from here to the highway and you never would have made it."

"I wasn't running away," I answered.

Truthfully, I had no idea why I'd stolen that car. I'm 3,000 miles from home and I knew that I was going to get caught. Maybe it was because that was how Davey and I had spent many nights together or maybe it was because now I didn't have to think about him being dead since I'd have this whole thing to deal with. I'm guessing the latter is my closest bet. A holding cell is where I called home for the next few hours and I was surprised to see there was not one other person in the jailhouse. Peter finally came back and he still looked pissed off.

"You need to pay the family back for the window but they've agreed that whatever punishment I see fit for you will be deemed appropriate."

I nodded and said thank you while Peter told me that Ruth would stitch my hand up once we got back to the school.

"What?" I asked, "You're not gunna send me away to juvi?"

"No, Orion. We don't send people away at Horizon if we can help it. While I am angry at what you've done I'm not going to send you away, but there will be consequences for your actions."

We were silent on the way home and I couldn't believe that I wasn't on my way to the New York Detention Center for Juvenile Offenders. It was early evening by the time we got back and you could tell by Sophie's furious look that Peter had told her what happened. A big guy with muscles was waiting in Peter's office and I was told that until I could be trusted again I would be watched. Peter and Sophie were going to figure out my punishment and I would know by tomorrow how bad I was in for it. Sophie was disappointed, I could tell, and I sighed carelessly. Right now I've got more to deal with then my counselors being mad at me.

"I'm Roger," The man said to me, "Looks like you've got yourself into a whole mess of trouble."

"Looks like it," I replied.

Roger followed me to the infirmary and then to the lodge where I met up with the cliffhangers who all wanted to know what was going on. Tristan was looking at my bandaged hand and had a questioning look in his eyes. I was taken away to get something to eat before I could answer any of their questions but I whispered quickly in Tristan's ear when Roger wasn't looking.

"Tonight. Midnight. At the woodpile."

Tristan nodded and smiled at me, rubbing my arms lightly when I didn't smile back.

**Tonight.**

**So it's been sooo long since I've updated this story but I was reading through and realized that I missed it. Review please.**


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